“Blogging, I don’t have time! I don’t know how! I don’t know what to write! Why should I blog, anyways?” This is one of the most frequent topics I discuss with clients and one with the most resistance and fear around it.
Thinking about blogging is much more overwhelming then actually doing it. The payoff is worth so much more than not blogging.
I was resistant to blogging, but in October and November 2013 I committed to blogging every day. I managed to blog about 85% of the days. The results were amazing. My website ranking soared; my content improved each time; I received great feedback from my readers, and I made sales. An added bonus – I met and started following some amazing bloggers who have taught me so much.
Since then, I’ve tried to post to my blog 2 to 3 times per week. In all honest there are weeks where life and business get in the way, and I post less frequently. When that happens, my website ranking goes down and I miss thinking about and creating my blog content.
Top 3 Reasons That You Should Commit to Blogging
A good blog:
1) Creates Authority
Let’s face it, what is the 1st thing the majority of consumers (personal or professional) do when they are looking to buy something? They GOOGLE the company and/or person! I know I do, do you? Why? Because I want to learn more about them, their products and/or services. I want see what they are saying. I want to know that they know what they are talking about and that their message resonates with me.
A blog full of solid content allows you to show your expertise to your market.
2) Allows Someone to Get to Know, Like and Trust You
The more authentic your voice is in your blog, the better people are going to know, like and trust you. Blogs that are written as if the author is sitting across the table from you having a coffee are the best at achieving this, particularly when the content is provides value. As consumers we want to buy from people/companies that we know, like and trust. It is one of the most valuable parts of having a strong blog, to create that trusting relationship.
3) Generates Traffic, Creates Leads, and Ultimately Sales
A well planned and “living” blog will attract a following. The people who follow you are more likely to share your blogs and bring more traffic to your site. Returning traffic creates leads and those leads are coming back because they like your content. As a result they are a warm audience for your products and services offerings. It can be that simple.
3 Blogging Guidelines
1) Provide Great Content
Your readers need to value the content. It can be controversial, it can be educational, or it can make them think. All of those styles work. The trick is to engage your readers’ interest, to get them coming back, sharing your posts, and engaging in your posts by commenting or following up on your call to action.
You always need to be writing with the reader in mind – with your potential client in mind. The more you get to know your market, the better the content will become.
Tips:
- Always write in the 1st person, except when it’s negative or you’re generalizing. For example, above I wrote “Let’s face it, what is the 1st thing the majority of consumers (personal or professional) do when they are looking to buy something? They GOOGLE the company and/or person. I know I do, do you?” I don’t want to assume everyone does it, so I leave it open as a question. Another example would be “Most small business owners are struggling, not knowing where to invest their marketing dollars. Are you?”
- Get really specific about your ideal client and find a picture that represents them. Paste that picture near your computer and write to them as if you sitting down for a coffee. It will make you content so much more interesting and authentic. Here’s a comment for one of mine client who is just starting to commit to blogging:
“I enjoyed writing it and you’re right it’s easier when it’s a conversation and my own stuff.” – Colette Asselin, Caregiver’s Health Coach
2) Include a “Call-to-Action”
A call-to-action is a simple method to ask readers to do something. For example, ask a question and ask them to post their response in the comments section. Ask them to share the post with their friends.
In some of your post include an offer for a free value-added gift, or a product/service. You don’t want to be selling too much but you want to make them aware of what’s available. Of course only do this if the offer matches the blog content.
Tip: Always respond to comments. It adds value to your blog post, to your credibility and can help with your SEO.
3) Create a Blogging Schedule
Blogging is much easier if you have a schedule and you know what is coming when. It take the pressure off creating content on the spot; it allows you to write and schedule your content in advance, and you can outsource some of the activities around blogging, like sharing on social media. You can mix up the type of blogs: written, audio, and/or video and you can invite guest bloggers or interview someone in advance.
I know from my own experience that having a theme, blog types and a schedule really help me blog consistently. The greatest benefit is when I follow my schedule and commit to it, my blog’s ranking improves and I reach more people. When I slack off, my ranking goes down and I reach less people. It is pretty simple.
Tips: There are many different ways to create your blogging schedule. Each has their own value and you can mix them up to create your own unique schedule. Here are a few suggestions:
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- Create a theme for each month. That is only 12 themes/topics that are valuable to your market per year. For example, a interior decorator can easily leverage the seasons and holidays to create 12 themes.
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- Create a type per day of the week. Let’s say you decide to blog 3 days a week. Monday might be a motivational blog, Wednesday might be a “technical” blog and Friday might be a Fun Fact.
- Pay attention to events/holidays and use them in your blogs. I had great fun blogging during the 2014 Winter Olympics and tying the lessons from athletes to entrepreneurship.
I’d love to hear from you. Do you blog? If yes, what has been the benefit for you? What would you add to my list? If you are not blogging, why not? Please comment below. (Yes, this is my call to action.)
I love to see entrepreneurs follow their passions, serve more people and create the lifestyle of their dreams.
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Thanks for your great efforts in coming up this very useful article for all times.
Lorri – Thank you reading it, I hope it is helpful.
great tip on creating a monthly theme!!!! that would make it much more cohesive.
Hazel – I hope you find it useful, it really does help. Thanks for stopping by.
Hey Heather,
You made some great points about how beneficial blogging is to businesses. Especially for home business. It’s a great way, if not the greatest, to build a great reputation and a way for your target market to really connect with you.
As for as me, I blogged once a week. It’s difficult to pick one specific day to publish a post but my audience does expect a blog once a week from me. Once I do publish each post I then turn my focus on promoting it through commenting and sharing within blog communities and social media.
So far it’s been working quite well and my results keep improving each month now!
This was a great share! I hope you have a fan fasting weekend!
Sherman, thank you! Another inspiration on a topic for follow up on this blog. The whole concept of not just writing it but getting it out there by sharing. There are so many ways to and it such an important aspect of creating authority and an audience.
Thank you very much for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Excellent post Heather!
Yes, just committing to blogging daily and consistently, you will see the results that you desire….absolutely agree as I do the same thing and I find that the more consistent I am the better results I get as more and more people come to see me as an authority and will get to know, like and trust me enough to keep coming back as they relate so much to what I share 🙂
Awesome tips and strategies you have shared for anyone who wants to utilize blogging! Thanks for sharing!!!
Joan – thank you. It is good to hear that you are getting results with the same strategies. In reality it is a marketing strategy that is very effective and not costly.
Great tips! I really need to create a blogging calendar. This FINALLY is on my to do list this weekend! This will allow me to focus on creating content and creating posts around the same content in an orderly fashion. I am too spontaneous with it at the moment. 🙂
A, Lynn – Thanks, it is great to see you creating a blogging calendar. As a result of the comments on this post and other people I’ve spoken to I have a plan next week to create a blogging Calendar template. Stay tuned.
So very well said Heather!
And I like how you pointed out, the more often you blog, the larger
potential audience and potential networking you can do.
And when you’re not as active blogging, the exact opposite happens!
Can it get any simpler and straight forward than that?
Thanks for sharing an extremely practical post!
Mark – No it can’t get any simpler than that and yet I get such resistance to it with clients. They are investing in other types of marketing that are not providing then with the return they want but blogging is a big scary thing in their minds.
This is great information. Are you saying google actually knows (recognizes) blogs on a wordpress format? If so, does that help with SEO? Thanks.
Tina: As others have commented below, Google crawls your site when you put up new content that helps on your Google ranking. So yes, it does help with you SEO. Everything I’m hearing these days is that more and more quality content is being rewarding along with posting frequently.
Brilliant Heather! I am a blogger and as I was reading, your blog reinforced all the reasons I should continue to do so! It makes sense, when someone visits my website, why should they buy from me when there are millions of other sites out there? By blogging as you say, it sets me up as an authority and allows a prospect to ‘see who I am’. Of course that builds trust and that’s what gets the click! It is a challenge sometimes to keep on blogging but your blog is so inspiring, it made me rub my hands together in anticipation of getting started on next week’s blog! I loved the practical tips and was so on board with your idea about creating a blogging schedule. It helps immensely. One last thing, as a fellow blogger, I am so impressed with your marathon feat of blogging everyday in October and November, wow, I take my hat off to you girl, very well done! (I’ll have to try that one of these good days!)
Michelle – Thank you. It was marathon to blog daily but it really helped me develop my voice and content. I love that this inspired you to get started on next week’s blog. Great input.
Great resource Heather. Blogging certainly has all the benefits you mentioned above. The one I appreciate the most (for myself) is that every time you add new content to your site, google comes over to crawl your site. That in itself is HUGE. Keep up the good work! 🙂
Norma – So important for people to understand that. If you add new content, Google comes and sees it. I see so many people chase SEO who are not adding content to their site and are missing out on one of the best ways to be discovered.
Heather, Thank You! Thank you for this most amazing post, full of practical advice on blogging at your best. This is so good, I will use this information to help create a Content Schedule. Thanks again!
Renee – Thank you for stopping by, reading and commenting on this post. A blogging schedule really works. It helps up create a list of what you want to say and plan in advance.
I’m happy I blog weekly. We have a commitment to have them be as visually attractive as our jewelry and website and that takes a lot of preparation. I have been using an editorial calendar which has been a great guide. I aim to provide value even when it incorporates our jewelry.
Rosyln – As a reader of your blog I can attest to the fact that your blog achieves your goal. I’m always interested in see what you’ve researched and to see how beautiful your pieces are. I can definitely see how well you use a blogging calendar. Great content with a strong connection to what upcoming holidays, season or events. You are a wonderful example of a blogging calendar at work.
Thank you so much Heather for the affirmation. It was challenging for me to create an editorial calendar and now, I’m glad I have one.
Great tips and reasons to blog. Blogging is very important to the success of your online marketing strategy. In addition to what you have shared here, blogging also makes your site look very attractive to search engine bots. Your site gets crawled more regularly and bumped up in the search rankings when you post consistent, relevant blog posts in your expert subject area.
Niquenya – That is great input with regards to search engine bots. My understanding is that good content is getting rewarded these days. The more quality you post the better your SEO.
Thanks for adding value to the post.
WOW! Congrats, Heather, on your commitment to blogging! Job well done and it has paid off. Personally, every day would be too much for me. I blog once, maybe twice per week because that suits my schedule/plans. Your tips are helpful. I especially like your idea of creating a theme. It may be something I may consider. Thanks so much for sharing.
Alexandra – Once or twice a week is great, it keeps you current and doesn’t over take your life.
Congrats on your commitment to blogging every day. Wow! That is truly prolific. For me, I write so much from inspiration, that I am not sure I could actually create lifestyle pieces daily. I really enjoyed your tips and I do incorporate a call to action by generally asking a question to engage people to comment back and I write from my own personal experience, which means 1st person. Wonderfully inspiring to see how successful this has been for you and it does give me food for thought for sure. Thanks for sharing your experiences, Heather.
Beverley – thank you, I only did it for 2 months but the benefits were great. I’m now working myself back to blogging 3 to 4 times a week. I read you blogs and they always engaging, I always want to know where you are going to take me.